Higher Education Ministry produced 50,000 entrepreneurs in 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Higher Education (IPT) produced almost 50,000 entrepreneurs among the students last year, with over 7,000 of them still doing business after completing their studies.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad said the ministry's effort of driving the entrepreneurship agenda was not something new.

She said the shift under the Malaysian Education Development Plan (Higher Education) 2015-2025, the IPT were given the responsibility of providing the country with quality, highly-skilled and competitive graduates with excellent entrepreneurial qualities in order to become successful entrepreneurs in future.

"In ensuring that the objectives are met, the IPT Entrepreneurship Action Plan 2021-2025 and Guidelines to Entrepreneurship Integrated Education were launched last February as the main reference source for the IPT," she said at the closing of the national-level Public IPT Business Simulation Competition 2021, here, today.

Noraini said while the ordinary salaried workers were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the entrepreneurial field, especially the small and medium enterprises were identified as among the significant solutions in helping the people generate income, besides creating new job opportunities,

On the competition today, the fourth in the series organised by her ministry, she said it was participated by 19 public universities and one polytechnic to improve skills such as in personnel, financial and risk management.

"It is also aimed at honing leadership, communication and problem-solving kills, building team spirit and inculcating good morals and professional ethics," she added.

Noraini said the competition used the business simulation application of the Malaysia Practice Enterprise Centre (MYPEC) which provided a platform for the participants to have a real experience of operating a business beginning with its registration until the establishment of a company (startup).

"This year, the challenges not only come from the simulation created by this application, but also the COVID-19 pandemic which has restricted physical movement," she added.

In the competition, Medici Sdn Bhd from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) emerged as the best business group while Sedaplicious Sdn Bhd and Farm Lah from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), respectively, came in second and third.

-- BERNAMA